ABCA new year brings the same old drama in the latest installment of “The Bachelor” franchise. The leading man this time around is Ben Flajnik, the No. 2 guy from Ashley Hebert’s season as “The Bachelorette.”

A new year brings the same old drama in the latest installment of “The Bachelor” franchise.

The leading man this time around is Ben Flajnik, the No. 2 guy from Ashley Hebert’s season as “The Bachelorette.”

You may remember Ben as the man who dropped to one knee to propose, only to have Ashley say she just wasn’t that into him.

Ben is back, and he says he has no regrets. And just to prove that he’s better than ever, we were treated to an opening montage with shirtless footage of Ben kayaking, looking like the brooding, sensitive soul we came to know last season.

During Monday night’s two-hour premiere, Ben physically looked better than ever, but his personality was lackluster. Do we have a Bachelor dud on our hands this season? If so, have no fear, loyal Bachelor viewers. There are plenty of crazies in the house to keep us entertained.

Here’s what you missed during Monday night’s premiere.

The first impression rose goes to: Lindzi C., a beautiful blonde who actually came riding up to the house on a horse. (apparently she likes equestrian activities). “Save the best for last, I suppose,” Ben said after he met her. We’ll give Lindzi props (although we’re doubting her depth just by the spelling of the name). She joked that the name of the horse was “The First Impression Rose.” And after dealing with all sorts of jealous scowls in the house, she won Ben over during her one-on-one time. “I’m not giving you this rose because of the horse,” Ben told her. Glad he cleared that up for us. The first impression rose-winners are typically in it for the long haul, so get used to seeing Linzi this season.

ABCLast season on "The Bachelorette," millions of viewers shared the heartbreak of Ben Flajnik when his heartfelt proposal was rejected by Ashley Hebert in the emotional finale. Now he's ready to put all the disappointment and hurt behind him as the new Bachelor. "The Bachelor" returned to the air this Monday, and Ben narrowed his ladies from 25 to 18.

Most awkward entrance: Jenna, a romance blogger from New York (a.k.a. Sarah Jessica Parker wannabe), couldn’t find any words when she met Ben. After an awkward few seconds of silence, she tried to give him props for his infamous exit on “The Bachelorette.” “So I have to say, that I loved what you said last season … how good things end badly,” she told him. Ben pointed out that he actually said, “Good things don’t end unless they end badly.” After a little bit more painful silence, Ben rushes up this awkward-fest by telling her that it was really nice to meet her. Jenna walks into the house, sighing, “Oh I screwed it up…” Yep, you sure did and that wasn’t the only thing she screwed up.

Biggest train-wreck: Jenna is back for more. She manages to pick a fight with Monica, a statuesque blonde from Utah, over Monica’s intentions. Jenna only gets more upset when she sees Monica flirting (yes, flirting… and drunkenly petting) Blakely, a VIP cocktail waitress. So Jenna and Monica try to talk out their differences.Monica: “Don’t make something that it’s not. I don't know you. Like, you’re a girl, you’re here, we’re on the same terms.”
Jenna: “Totally, you’re a girl. Maybe we could share a tampon sometime. “
Monica: (to the camera)" That was weird. I think that’s gross.”
Clearly the Bachelor producers went above and beyond to find classy women this season.

Most incoherent sentence of the night: Ding, ding! Jenna wins again. After she suffers an intense crying spell/borderline breakdown, Ben comes over to try to reassure her that everything will be O.K. This is what she tells him: “I just feel like you like I know like that makes us if we could be more nervous but you could, we all could be more nervous but the way you’re calm like we’re like so nervous but it calms us down a little bit.” Ben’s response? “Yep.”

Biggest word that rhymes with witch: Courtney, a 28-year-old model from Santa Monica, doesn't think she has any competition in the house. "I feel like I don’t need to worry about these other girls here. You’re kind of in the way," she said. "I’m better than them. I think I’ll be patient and let them shoot themselves in the foot." And Ben appears pretty smitten with Courtney, or at least her physical appearance. "That is a pretty girl," he said. Look for Courtney to cause major drama in the house. She doesn't like the other ladies, and it's a safe bet they will absolutely despise her.

Best keep-me-around tactic: Brittney, a pretty blonde, brought her grandma Sheryl to the party. And her grandma had crutches and professed her love for Ben. Come on, how could Ben possibly send her home?

In the end, Jenna (who showed up late, with smeared makeup and messy hair, to the rose ceremony) and Monica both got to stay. Yay for Team Crazy!

No big shockers among the initial seven rejects, but we were kind of bummed to see Lyndsie J., a humorous Brit and diplomat's daughter, hit the road.

This season on 'The Bachelor': A mystery woman will enter the show sometime later in the season, and her arrival doesn't go over well. Rumor has it that this woman is Shawntel, a past competitor on Brad's season of the Bachelor. And will Ben finally find love (or reality-TV-manufactured-love)? The previews for the season were ominous, featuring a woman in the end proposal scene wearing a ruffled black dress that looked like something a Disney villain would wear. Hmm. That can't be good, can it?